PicMonkey’s visual communications platform is tailored to help people and brands grow by design

March 7, 2018; 11:26 AM

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rebuilt from the ground up to meet the needs of a fast-paced world where 93% of all human communication is visual and social media advertising spend grew more than 60% from 2016-2017, PicMonkey—the visual communications platform that enables both non-designers and designers alike to quickly create effective visuals—today announced New PicMonkey. Built on WebGL, New PicMonkey introduces new powerful design capabilities for an emerging $5 billion addressable market of individuals, small to medium businesses and social media teams who need visuals to power their passions: both personal and professional.

New PicMonkey comes on the heels of three key growth points for the company: over 450,000 paid subscribers, a new headquarters to accommodate a 20% year-over-year employee growth rate, and a record 3.4 billion images created. In May 2017, Frits Habermann took the helm as CEO, after joining the company in 2015.

“Apps that started off as fun have evolved into serious businesses with powerful capabilities—take Instagram, Twitch and YouTube for example,” said Habermann. “The modern entrepreneur in our world is reaching their customers through emerging visual platforms. With New PicMonkey, we've combined the power of photo editing and design layout with our recognized ease of use to help our customers create striking visuals. Going forward we will be able to deliver more ways for our customers to collaborate and expand their portfolio of visual communications.”

Showcasing a new user interface and powerful new design tools, New PicMonkey makes image editing quick and effective. With increased power and control, individuals and teams can quickly create and iterate on custom designs, creating infinite variations to help them express their brands. Features like flexible resizing for multiple social platforms, auto-saving to integrated storage and faster load times ensure swift and efficient workflows.

“PicMonkey removes the excuses that aspiring business owners have when hesitating to kick-start their idea—like waiting for the right logo from a designer. With PicMonkey, you don’t have to wait for anyone but yourself,” said PicMonkey user Janice MacLeod of Paris Letters. “And with tools that are easy to learn, I find that people are less inclined to sit around. Instead, they are eager to dive in and turn their visions into reality.”

As work and creative demands continue to evolve for both designers and non-designers, private investors see that PicMonkey is part of an even larger enterprise trend.

“Previously, design tools were accessible only to a select few, but the market has changed: individuals and enterprises alike need a way to create and publish compelling digital content on a regular basis,” said Pete Jensen, Managing Director at Spectrum Equity and PicMonkey board member. “PicMonkey’s high growth in the past year demonstrates the emerging need for a platform that’s easy to use, yet still powerful and flexible—and we know that demand will only go up.”

In addition to the desktop version, PicMonkey’s mobile app is engineered to deliver a gratifying, high-quality mobile editing experience for design on the go. And with PicMonkey’s integrated storage, the company's millions of mobile users can seamlessly switch from creating on mobile to desktop and back again. The PicMonkey mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.

New PicMonkey is currently in beta release and will be available in wide release on May 15. Subscriptions start at $5.99 per month for an annual Premium subscription.

To sign up for early access to New PicMonkey, please visit: https://www.picmonkey.com/beta.

About PicMonkey

Founded in 2012, PicMonkey is a visual communications platform that enables both non-designers and designers alike to quickly create stunning visuals for social media, marketing, and beyond. With 3.4 billion images made and over 450,000 paid subscribers and millions of mobile users in more than 190 countries, PicMonkey employs a workforce of 60 people across its headquarters in Seattle, WA and regional office in Ireland. For more information, visit https://www.picmonkey.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.